Avoid Dry Styling to Maintain Natural Hair Health

So you fell asleep from exhaustion and didn’t moisturize, twist or put your hair in a satin bonnet or scarf and woke up with a dry, matted mass of hair that’s drier than the Sahara Desert.

You’re running late, so you grab the nearest pick or wide toothed comb and work it through your hair as fast as you can. Your scalp stings from all the pulling and you notice a steady shower of tiny coils and small balls of tangled hair raining down from your head as you sculpt your hair into the style of the day.

Sound familiar?

Natural Hair Salon Visit Nightmare | From a Stylist That Wouldn’t Listen to One Who Would

I recently visited a salon in my area and inquired if they specialized in styling all textures of natural hair. I was told “yes” and I got very excited because there aren’t many natural hair salons in my area. We started discussing the products they used for their clients. Although they were very good products they may have caused my scalp psoriasis to flare up.

When the stylist asked what I was currently using in my hair I informed her that I use Pine Tar soap to wash my hair, a moisturizing shampoo a hydrating conditioner and then coconut oil because I have psoriasis.

Related Article: Psoriasis, Natural Hair and a New Me

Almost immediately she was disgusted with the products I used. She stated, “I don’t like this brand” and “I don’t like that brand”. That put a sour taste in my mouth! I told her again that I have psoriasis on my scalp and that these are the products that work best for my hair and scalp. I asked if she would she allow me to bring my personal items for my hair. The look on her face was pure disgust and then she got offensive and said, “My salon uses good products”.

Blow Out and Flat Iron Your Natural Hair in 3 Easy Steps

Over the weekend I did something that I always wanted to try … a blow out!

I enjoyed every moment of it. I was able to see the true length of my hair. I have a full afro and I love it! I thought to myself, since I’ve done the blowout why not take it a step further, and I did – FLAT IRON. Ahhhh, the experience was life changing for me.

Treat you hair like your family. You will do what it takes to protect your loved ones and the same rule applies to natural hair. It’s important to protect it while blow drying and flat ironing to avoid heat damage. I used a heat protectant when I did both. I’m grateful that I had no breakage at all. 

What Would YOUR Natural Hair Say to YOU?

I know there are times when I can be unruly. You have to remember that being natural is new for me again. I haven’t been natural since your birth and then you altered me with chemicals. Give me a moment to bounce back so that I can be the best head full of healthy natural hair.

Yes, there are many products out there. Some of the products I like and others I don’t. When I show signs of disliking them please stop using them immediately. Just because they work for someone else doesn’t mean they will work for me.

The Wonders of Section Washing

So you think you know how to wash your hair?

Think again.

The unique nature of coarse, type 4 hair requires almost everything to be done in ways that create and maintain optimum hair health. For most of us, that means relearning how to do basic stuff like combing our hair and yes, even washing it too.

How to Brush Your Afro Textured Hair

I’m pretty sure you’ve been brushing your hair for years. You don’t need to know how to brush your hair, right?

The fact is having natural hair means relearning how to do almost everything and doing something as basic as brushing your hair incorrectly can lead to frustration, tenderness of scalp due to excessive pulling and breakage.

Learning the proper way to brush your afro textured hair makes a world of difference. Brushing your hair the right way be done in minutes, can be completely pain free and almost completely eliminates the possibility of breakage.

Detangling | Stop Tearing Your Hair Out (The Answer is at Your Fingertips)

My recent detangling session was filled with equal parts despair and frustration.

Actually, I was only half way paying attention to what I was doing to my head because my fingers were on automatic.

I didn’t have to do much steering because they already knew where to go. The other half of my attention was on a very interesting documentary I was watching. As I got lost in the story and re-enactment of the Civil War, my fingers got lost in my hair until they crashed into a snag that jolted me back to reality.

How to Stretch, Blowout your Afro Textured Natural Hair

If I’ve learned anything about caring for natural hair, I’ve discovered that technique is everything. 

Knowing the proper way to maintain and style natural, afro textured hair makes all of the difference potentially saving you time, money, and a lot of frustration in the long run.

Stretching natural hair isn’t as complicated as it may seem at first. 

It need not involve specially designed hair styling tools or a million different ointments and creams to achieve the look you desire – all you need to know is the right way to make your hair do what you want it to do.

The Perfect Time to Straighten Your Natural Hair

Erykah Badu with straightened hair


If you’re like me, just the thought of straightening your natural hair can create a near panic. A steady stream of questions typically begins to flood my mind until it’s nearly overflowing almost immediately.


“Does the weather forecast call for rain today?”

“How warm is it outside?”

“Will I be doing anything that will make me sweat?”

Any of these questions sound familiar?

Naturals who have gone through the often lengthy process of straightening their hair to any extent with any method that doesn’t involve the use of chemical treatments try to avoid even the smallest amounts of moisture.

Try the L.O.C. Method to Help Coarse Type 4 Natural Hair Retain Moisture

The L.O.C. or liquid, oil, cream method is the much discussed way to help natural hair retain moisture.

Here's how it works:

Step 1:
Dampen hair with a liquid - water or water based moisturizers are preferred.

Step 2:
Coat hair with a natural oil – any of your favorites will do.

Step 3:

Coat hair with a heavy cream or butter like Shea Butter to add extra moisturizing power.
If you have especially dry or brittle hair the L.O.C. method could help your hair retain moisture while improving the overall health of your hair.

Author:
Chanel Polk

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Afro Hair Style No-No's

The afro is a go to hair style for many people with natural hair because it is quick and easy.

Just work a pick or wide toothed comb through your hair until it reaches the desired width, pat it into the desired shape and you’re done. Styling hair couldn’t get much easier than that, right?

Not exactly.

Dry Coarse Type 4b or 4c Hair? Here are Easy Ways to Retain Moisture

Although I'm very happy to see so many people choosing to forego chemical hair straightening treatments to wear their hair in its natural kinky and curly state, I am almost equally dismayed when I see people with dull an dry looking natural hair.

I understand how difficult it can be to learn how to care for coarse natural type 4b or 4c hair because I too have fought this battle.

Coarse hair looses moisture quickly and gets tangled and hard when it is dry. Combing or attempting to style hair that is in this state is painful to the scalp and damaging to the hair because it can result in breakage.

Co-wash Your Hair in 3 Easy Steps

Co-washing, or “washing” your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo, is a great way to keep coarse type 4 hair moisturized.

The traditional shampoos that line the shelves of the beauty aisle in most drug stores and beauty supplies contain sulfates and other ingredients that leave hair dry.

The truth is that the same ingredients that cause your shampoo to produce lather are the same ones that are sucking the moisture out of your hair.

Finger Detangle in 3 Easy Steps

I discovered finger detangling when I was trying to find an easy way to manage my son’s hair.

At first I dampened his hair with water then picked it out but I would run into all sorts of tangles and picking through them would cause him to go into fits of screaming.

I was literally tearing through little knots of hair that I would have to eventually have to pull out altogether.